Character a big plus for new SHU women's coach Mannetti

William S. Paxton

Updated 12:16 am, Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Jessica Mannetti speaks after being introduced as the new Sacred Heart University women's basketball coach during a press conference in the McMahon Center on campus in Fairfield, Conn., June 25th, 2013.
Photo: Ned Gerard

Jessica Mannetti speaks after being introduced as the new Sacred Heart University women's basketball coach during a press conference in the McMahon Center on campus in Fairfield, Conn., June 25th, 2013.
Photo: Ned Gerard

FAIRFIELD -- Jessica Mannetti didn't just talk about a master plan for Sacred Heart women's basketball when she came in for an interview, she brought it with her.

The 34-year-old New Canaan High School graduate's impressive presentation -- which included outlining how she would handle the first six months on the job -- put her among four finalists for the job, and then ultimately made her the program's new head coach.

"She has the character you want in a coach," Bobby Valentine said in one of his first official acts as the university's new athletic director during a press conference Tuesday morning in the McMahon Center.

Mannetti revealed plenty about her character during SHU's search process, which happened to coincide with the passing of her father, Joseph Mannetti, at 61 from a heart attack.

"It's hard to talk about, but I know he would be so proud of me for pursuing this great opportunity," she said. "He would have been in the front row and been my biggest supporter, he's been my biggest support my whole life. Going through the process when he was sick and then eventually passing, I know that I had to be strong and it's what he would have wanted.

"I think a little divine intervention was at play," Mannetti added. "I think this was supposed to happen all along because it brought me home when my family needed me the most."

The departure of Ed Swanson, who left for the William & Mary job, certainly left a big void for the Pioneers. Swanson won three Northeast Conference tournaments and the Pioneers made three NCAA appearances since 2006.

"I have big shoes to fill with Ed, and it's a good thing I have size 11 shoes," Mannetti said, with a smile. "I think our new success here and the way we are going to do things with our program will be a little different, but we will also have the same goals overall.

"I don't feel pressure per se, but I know I will be under a microscope my first year."

Sacred Heart had a short window to fill the job before the Pioneers leave to play August exhibition games in Ireland, and hiring someone already knowledgeable about the program and with previous college head coaching experience might have seemed like priorities.

However, Valentine said Mannetti had plenty of positive qualities to overcome those specifications. Mannetti was chosen from four finalists, which included now former assistant Jen Wedo, Villanova assistant Heather Vulin and Virginia Tech assistant Thomas Joyce.

"I had a couple girls who played for her that said she was the greatest person they had ever met in their lives," he said. "And I thought that was the most resounding thing I have ever heard about anyone. Mothers that I talked to of people she coached said (glowing things), so I don't know where else to go with that.

"I think she has the character, she has high school on-court experience that could translate, but I'm sure there will be a learning curve. But I think she will make up for some of the learning curve with her passion."

Men's basketball coach Anthony Latina, who met with Mannetti during her initial interview with the school, agrees.

"She knows her stuff," Latina said. "She has great energy and enthusiasm."

"You saw how she took the ground running and just learned every aspect of the program," Kilburn-Steveskey said about Mannetti's preparation prior to getting the SHU job. "When you work for me, you have to learn every aspect of the program. You are not going to be hand-held and it's great for some people, but some people can't handle it.

"Jess will probably tell you a lot of stories about how hard I was on her during her first year, but it's nice to be hard on someone and then watch them take the initiative and run with it. That's exactly what she did."

Mannetti plans to announce her coaching staff in the next week or so. She also has to get to know her new team, which includes senior point guard Ericka Norman and junior shooting guard Gaby Washington along with red-shirt sophomore Hannah Kimmel, who is coming off her second season-ending knee injury and has never played a game for the Pioneers.

The new coach said she was not worried about possibly losing any of the incoming freshmen class, which was recruited by Swanson and his staff.

"That's not a huge concern," she said. "They chose Sacred Heart because they believe in the university and they wanted to play basketball here. Sacred Heart chose me, but I believe in a lot of things Sacred Heart stands for, so we are all on the same page. ... I'm pretty confident it will all work out."